The Sweet Music of Love
by Passionate Cec
Summary: After See No Evil, Gibbs goes to see Kate and discovers something he has long suspected about her but never knew for sure.


Here is another one of my post-episode one shots. It's post _See No Evi_l which is one of my favorite episodes. This fanfiction is one of the first I wrote in the episode tag series and I really like it. I might actually decide to write a second part which will have more or less to do with this part. I just need to find what would happen.

Just like in _The fine Art of Cookie Loving_ and _Little Secrets_ Kate and Gibbs are already in a relationship.

NCIS, Kate and Gibbs don't belong to me. I make no money from this. The sole purpose of this story is entertainment. No Copyright infringement intended.

Next time I'll post the next chapter to _A Coffe Story_. Maybe this weekend if I'm feeling generous or if I feel like I've had enough review and want to thank you. And naturally, on to the most important part of this AN :

Please, let me know what you think about this story. As usual I love reviews and they make my day.

Enjoy. =)

**The Soft Music of Love**

As Gibbs approached her door he heard the soft music of the piano filter through. He had seen the piano in her living room and knew that, as a girl, she used to play, yet he had never heard a sound come out of the instrument. She only played when she needed to forget, she had told him when asked. The music that came from her own fingers was the only thing that could calm her down when she was feeling really upset. The soft sounds helping her drift away and lose herself.

He sighed. He knew the case had shaken her, but that had happened before and never had she felt the need to get lost in the music. Though the fact that the girl had been a piano prodigy probably had something to do with it.

He took out his keys and opened the door to her apartment. He had had the key for a while but had never used it before, feeling like he was invading her privacy by entering into her world without asking for her permission first. Kate had told him multiple times to just use it. Even if at first it was only in case of emergencies, they were now intimate enough to be allowed to enter the other one's privacy. Still, he liked to knock. This time though, he didn't have the heart to interrupt her. If she needed the music to calm down and relax, he wouldn't take that away from her.

He wasn't surprised that she didn't hear him. The sounds of the piano were louder inside and he smiled; he liked hearing her play; she was good and he briefly wondered what would have happened had she decided to live her life from playing the piano. When he entered the living room he stayed still at the door, observing her.

Her hair was up in a messy bun, with just a few strands of dark hair falling out, giving him a good look of the back of her neck. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a crimson t-shirt. It was tight enough to show her curves, making his hands itch to touch her. Her back was straight, following the movement of her arms as her fingers moved on the keys. Like in everything else she did, she was gracious, elegant and utterly feminine, though no less strong.

He was almost certain she already knew he was in the room so he took a chance and walked to her, softly setting his hands on her shoulders. She didn't jump or stop playing; he had been right. He stayed behind her for a few moments, feeling her every movement, yet not restraining her in the least; until the end of the piece. Her hands dropped to her lap and he felt she had sat like that many times, back straight, hands on her lap, waiting for the teacher's comments.

'It's beautiful.' He said as his hands moved down her arms, then back up to her shoulders. 'You should play more often; I had no idea you are this good.' She turned around, and grinned.

'Thank you.'

'How you feeling?' He asked, going straight to the point. She sighed.

'How could he do something like that? He has this beautiful and amazing little girl and he goes and ruins the life he had. She won't understand why her loving daddy did that. How could he hurt her like that?'

'I don't know, sweetheart. I'm trying to understand it too but I really don't get it.' She scooted slightly on the bench and he sat down next to her, his right arm going around her back, his hand settling on her hip when he felt her head drop to his shoulder. 'You know, I thought I was going to kill him when he tried to say there was a reason.' He put his head on hers, kissing her hair once.

'I know. Shannon and Kelly.' It was a statement; not a question and he appreciated how understanding she was.

'Yeah.' His arm tightened around her. 'I would do anything to get them back. Don't get me wrong, I love what we have but-'

'I know Jethro, don't worry. I would never expect you to stop loving them because of me. They are part of you and I have no right to ask you to forget them.' He kissed her hair again.

'Thank you.' He paused briefly. 'He had exactly what I had; a loving wife and a beautiful little girl, and he sacrificed it when he should be cherishing it, thanking whomever listens to have that. I didn't realize how lucky I was until it was too late, and now I regret it every day.' She was silent for a while and he just enjoyed the feel of her body against him. He didn't know what he had done to deserve her but he sure as hell was not going to complain.

'Have you ever thought about having a family again?' She finally asked softly. He thought about it for a while, his hand unconsciously moving up and down her side.

'Not with any of my ex-wives. I didn't want to.' He answered truthfully, discovering at the same time that he might actually want a family with Kate. He knew she had always wanted children and he wouldn't be against being their father. 'The pain was too recent and it just wouldn't have felt right.' He felt her nod. Again, they were silent for a while. 'With you…' He didn't know how to put it; didn't want to scare her or give her too much hope.

'With me?' She repeated softly.

'Honestly I haven't really thought about it. I guess down the road I can see us having a baby together, but now would be too early. I jumped in way too fast with my exes because I was looking for a replacement. I don't want to make the same mistakes again.'

'I know. And I wasn't asking for now. Maybe in a few years. Now I just want to enjoy what we have and see where it goes.'

'Kate, you know you're more than just a replacement, right?' She nodded. 'Good.' He paused, then felt the need to develop. 'When I'm with you, I only think about you, and us. I don't think about Shannon and feel the need to compare you to her. I think about you as what you are, not what you should be according to the image Shannon left in my mind. You're you and that's what I like-love.'

'Well, thank you… I guess.' He smiled.

Once more, for a long while they were quiet. He was listening to her breathe, enjoying the feel of her against his side, her head on his shoulder, her hair against his neck which he could perfectly kiss when he turned his head – which he did just because he could. He could smell her shampoo. It smelt like some kind of a berry. She had laughed at him the first time he used it because 'Gibbs, you're going to smell like a girl, and this is for brunettes; you're not a brunette.' His pointed look had only made her laugh harder and had made him wonder when his glare had lost its power on her.

He felt then that she was drawing unidentified patterns on his thigh. He moved his free hand to grab hers and linked their fingers, smiling at how small her soft hand was compared to his big, rough one. And how cliché it was that her feminine hand was soft and delicate while his masculine one was rough and strong. Of course sawdust and hand-cream didn't have the same effect on the skin so it shouldn't be surprising.

Thinking about her music he made a decision.

'Katie?'

'Yes?'

'Play me something?' He whispered.

'On the piano?'

'Yes. Please? I like hearing you play.'

'Okay.'

He smiled and kissed her hair one more time. She disengaged herself from him and turned back, facing the instrument. He followed her move and settled next to her, watching her face as she obviously tried to choose a piece to play. Then her hands moved to the keys and she started playing a slow and comforting music. His eyes moved from her graceful hands, grazing the black and white keys, handling them as if they were the most fragile objects in the world, to her soft face, concentrated on the task at hand, her eyes following the movements of her fingers, closing every now and then as she just felt the music flow through her.

He thought she couldn't have been more beautiful than at that moment; dressed casually, her face unmasked, unguarded, giving him a free access to her soul. Her eyes were alight yet soft, kind, gentle, rid of the harshness, hurt and pain their job put into them on a daily basis.

His eyes concentrated on the color in hers. He was yet to determine whether they were hazel or green as they seemed to change color constantly, never deciding on a precise one, sometimes even becoming yellow or grey when the lighting was appropriate. But he found them gorgeous and mesmerizing anyway. He had to admit that the fire in had seen in them had been one of the first things he fell in love with and over the days, weeks, months he had grown to discover and love all the different feelings her expressive eyes could muster. From the motherly look he had seen in them when she had been with Sandy earlier that day to the look of pure ecstasy that shone in them when they made love.

His gaze then moved to her lips. He loved kissing them, feeling their softness, tasting their sweetness. He had spent evenings just dropping innocent and chaste kisses on them, just because he could – and loved seeing the smile he always got in return - sometimes deepening them and letting his hands roam all over her body.

A strand of hair came out of the bun and grazed her cheek and jaw. He loved her hair too. It was soft and smelt so good. He loved to put his face in it and just breathe it in. It was beautiful to look at too; a natural, vibrant dark. And at that moment, with the sun just shining in through her window, slightly touching it, it turned a deeper color. Auburn he knew it was called, almost red.

He kept on watching her, taking her features in, liking the fact that, though she had to know he was observing her, she felt comfortable and could keep on playing. He wanted to run his hands through her hair but he was afraid he would startle her, so he just looked at her, listening to the music, whispering a quiet and soft 'You're beautiful', without even realizing it until a smile appeared on her face and stayed in place until she finished the piece and turned to him, dropping a sweet, chaste kiss on his lips.


End file.
